Building Safety in Fort Worth, TX (2026)
10 verified building safety rules for Fort Worth, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Elevator Maintenance
Texas TDLR regulates all elevators, escalators, and related equipment statewide under TX Health & Safety Code Ch. 754. Annual inspections are mandatory. Building owners must obtain a Certificate of Compliance for each elevator and post it conspicuously. Inspections follow ASME A17.1 Safety Code. Fort Worth building code (Ord. 25382) adopts IBC Chapter 30 elevator provisions.
Fort Worth Elevator Maintenance & Inspection Requirements
Light RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 754.019(a)
Sec. 754.019. DUTIES OF OWNERS. (a) The owner shall: (1) have the equipment inspected annually by a registered elevator inspector, unless the equipment has been removed from service in accordance with commission rules; (2) obtain an inspection report from the inspector evidencing that all equipment in a building on the real property was inspected in accordance with this chapter and rules adopte...
Fire Sprinkler Requirements
Fort Worth's building code requires fire sprinklers in commercial occupancies based on IBC Chapter 9 thresholds. Single-family homes use the IRC R313 default which Texas allows local jurisdictions to opt out of, and Fort Worth has not generally mandated sprinklers in detached homes.
Fort Worth Sprinkler Rules Follow IRC R313 and IBC Thresholds
Some RestrictionsTex. Loc. Gov't Code Sec. 233.153
Sec. 233.153. BUILDING CODE STANDARDS APPLICABLE. (a) New residential construction of a single-family house or duplex in the unincorporated area of a county to which this subchapter applies shall conform to the version of the International Residential Code published as of May 1, 2008, or the version of the International Residential Code that is applicable in the county seat of that county.(b...
Childcare Center Rules
Fort Worth childcare centers must meet Texas Health and Human Services Commission licensing standards under 26 TAC Chapter 744 and pass local building, fire, and zoning approvals. Family home daycares face lighter zoning requirements but still need HHSC permits.
Childcare Centers Must Meet HHSC Licensing and Local Building Codes
Light RestrictionsTex. Human Resources Code Sec. 42.041(a), 42.002(7)
Sec. 42.041. REQUIRED LICENSE. (a) No person may operate a child-care facility or child-placing agency without a license issued by the department. (b) This section does not apply to: ... (10) a family home, whether registered or listed; ... Sec. 42.002. ... (7) "Day-care center" means a child-care facility that provides care at a location other than the residence of the director, owner, or oper...
Door Locking Hardware
Fort Worth landlords must equip every leased dwelling with a keyed dead bolt or doorknob lock plus a keyless bolting device and door viewer on each exterior door, all installed at the landlord's expense within set height and throw specifications.
Fort Worth Rental Door Lock Requirements
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code § 7-95 (Security Devices)
A landlord of a leased dwelling unit shall equip the unit with security devices at the landlord's expense as follows. (a) If a tenant is in possession of a dwelling unit, the landlord shall equip the unit with: (1) A window latch on each exterior window of the dwelling unit; (2) A doorknob lock or keyed dead bolt on each exterior door; ... (5) A keyless bolting device and a door viewer on each ...
Green Building Code
Fort Worth implements green-building policy primarily through adopted IECC energy code amendments and Climate Action Plan benchmarks rather than a free-standing mandatory green-building ordinance. City facilities pursue LEED certification, and incentives encourage private green construction.
Fort Worth Green Building Program Tied to IECC and LEED Goals
Light RestrictionsTex. Health & Safety Code Sec. 388.003
Sec. 388.003. ADOPTION OF BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. (a) To achieve energy conservation in single-family residential construction, the energy efficiency chapter of the International Residential Code, as it existed on May 1, 2001, is adopted as the energy code in this state for single-family residential construction. On September 1, 2016, the energy efficiency chapter ...
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Fort Worth's amended Fire Code requires carbon monoxide alarms in every rented or leased dwelling unit where CO detection applies under Section 915, and in every Group E school classroom under Section 915.2.3. Landlords install and initially test CO alarms before occupancy, and the property owner must replace any unit that fails or signals end-of-life.
Fort Worth Carbon Monoxide Detector Rules
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code § 13-2 (Fire Code Amendments), adopting IFC §§ 907.11.1, 915.2.3, 915.6, as amended
907.11.1 Smoke and/or carbon monoxide alarms. All dwelling units which are rented or leased shall be provided with smoke alarms in accordance with this code (Section 907 or 1103.8 as applicable), as well as carbon monoxide alarms where required by Section 915 or 1103.9 as applicable. The smoke detector purchase, installation and initial testing shall be the responsibility of the landlord prior ...
Building Permits
Fort Worth requires a building permit for decks over 6 inches above grade. Concrete patios at grade level generally do not require permits. Covered patios and attached decks always require permits with plans showing structural details.
Deck and Patio Permit Requirements in Fort Worth
Some RestrictionsFort Worth Development Services — Residential Permitting: Decks
Residential building permits are for one or two family detached homes and their accessory structures on individually platted lots. Permits are required for new construction, as well as work that changes, moves or repairs walls, floors, ceiling, windows, doors, electrical, mechanical or plumbing. Permits are not required for "cosmetic" remodels (floor or wall covering, cabinets, counter tops, sh...
Electrical Permits
Fort Worth requires a building permit before any electrical system is installed, altered, repaired, removed, converted or replaced, under Building Administrative Code § 105.1. The city's electrical code is the 2023 National Electrical Code, adopted by City Code § 11-1. Ten narrow electrical tasks are permit-exempt, and permit-tied electrical inspections expire after just 30 days.
Fort Worth Electrical Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code § 7-1, Building Administrative Code § 105.1
105.1 Required. Any owner, individual, contractor or authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by the Technical Codes, or to cause any such ...
Plumbing Permits
Fort Worth regulates plumbing work under Chapter 26 of the City Code, which adopts the 2021 International Plumbing Code and 2021 International Fuel Gas Code with local amendments. Anyone doing plumbing work in the city, including a plumber holding a city plumbing permit, must comply with these adopted codes and the Fort Worth Building Administrative Code.
Fort Worth Adopted Plumbing Code Requirements
Some RestrictionsFort Worth City Code §§ 26-1, 26-2, 26-4
The plumbing code of the City of Fort Worth is hereby revised and amended to conform, with certain exceptions as specified below, to the 2021 International Plumbing Code and the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code of the International Code Council (ICC), and the same as amended are hereby adopted as the City's Plumbing Code. ... Chapters 1 "Part I - Scope and Application" and "Part 2 - Administrat...
Building Inspections
Fort Worth's Building Administrative Code sets the minimum inspection stages a project must pass, footing, slab, framing, energy efficiency, parkway and final, before the Building Official signs off. Work covered up before its required inspection is treated as an unsafe structure, and covering it before approval is a code violation in its own right.
Fort Worth Building Inspection Requirements
Some RestrictionsFort Worth Building Administrative Code § 110.5.1 (City Code § 7-1)
Any work covered or concealed without inspection shall be considered to constitute an unsafe structure and subject to the corrective provisions of Section 116. Such consideration as an unsafe structure shall exist every day until the work is inspected and approved as being in compliance with the Technical Codes. Inspections will not be performed until a valid active permit is obtained in accord...
Looking for Tarrant County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fort Worth city rules.
Building Safety in Tarrant County →